The Seahawks announced Sunday evening that they have signed running back Marshawn Lynch to a multi-year deal. The signing comes a day before the deadline for NFL teams to use the franchise tag on players, something GM John Schneider said they would have likely done had they not been able to strike a deal with Lynch, who was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent later this month.
Lynch, 25, is coming off of the best season of his career, rushing for 1,204 yards and 12 touchdowns. His new deal is worth $31 million over four years with $17 million in guaranteed money according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer. Had the the Seahawks placed the franchise tag on Lynch, he would have made $7.7 million in 2012.
“We are excited to keep Marshawn as part of what we are building,” Schneider said in a release from the team. “This is what we were hoping for when we acquired him from Buffalo.”
Seattle acquired Lynch, a former first-round pick, in a trade with Buffalo last season, giving up a fourth-round pick that year, plus a conditional 2012 pick that ended up being a fifth-rounder. He was a big part of Seattle’s second-half turnaround in 2011, rushing for 100 or more yards in six of Seattle’s final nine games. Lynch, Seattle’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2005, also established a franchise record by scoring touchdowns in 11 straight games.
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